As the cold weather approaches us in the great North, the insurance industry typically sees a rise in property loss claims due to fires.
As the Canadian Red Cross explains, “Home fires can happen anywhere and anytime, but are most common between December and March”. The required use of heating sources directly correlates to the increase in property fires during the winter months.
It’s Fire Prevention Week, and the effort to be preventative is always the most effective.
From my ten years of rebuilding structures following large loss claims, I have witnessed the grief, and turmoil clients experience following a house fire. These unexpected challenges are ones no one should face, so I have highlighted various steps below to assess your properties’ risk potential:
- Confirm any chimneys or flues are up to date on inspections and cleaning.
- Assess all vents, flues, and exhaust sources to ensure any disconnections, openings, or fastening connections are intact and have not detached.
- Ensure your electrical panel is intact, and no issues with breakers or odd outages have occurred. Report to a licensed electrician for review.
- Rodents play a large part in wiring compromise within the building compartment. Assertive assessment and response to a rodent infestation or presence is a worthwhile effort.
- Woodstove assessment and inspection, if not recently conducted, is critical to have completed.
- Any furnace should be assessed and inspected to determine any compromise in the off-season. The owner can resolve apparent issues, but a licensed HVAC contractor should provide ongoing service as required.
- Gas piping should be reviewed to ensure no fractures or compromises have occurred in the off-season.
- Fireplaces with a pilot light, or other heat sources, should be assessed and observed for any malfunctions.
- Barbeque use and proximity of building materials and cladding should be cautiously determined to avoid accidental combustion during cooking efforts.
- Inspect and ensure all fire extinguishers are located in appropriate locations within a building, and dates for inspections are up to date.
- Inspect and test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Most recent code requirements have detectors in all bedrooms. Consider upgrading your property to comply, ultimately, for your safety.
A bonus non-fire related tip: Ensure all plumbing that could be exposed to frost is protected and insulated. Another type of property loss claim can result in water damage caused by fractured pipes due to freezing temperatures.
Not all aspects of risk can be managed or prevented. Still, close attention given to the items listed above can minimize some essential areas that, unfortunately, cause significant property loss annually.
Securing a licensed professional to consult with and complete inspections are most definitive.
Your local fire department also has a fire prevention component that you can contact and source for assistance.
Updating your insurance company with these good practices and updated inspection records is a prudent approach as well.
This due diligence check is also an excellent opportunity to provide learning for youth who may not have any awareness or current understanding of property maintenance and fire prevention.
Note: Author Tom Streek is a reputable contractor and the owner of Rebuild Response®, Ontario’s leading large loss rebuilding company.
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